Welcome Brenda Youngerman

Please welcome my blog friend Brenda Youngerman to Suspense, She Writes.

Fiction with a Purpose….what does that really mean? To me it means picking up a book – a fictionalized tale of something that could possibly happen in real life – and learning something without realizing you are. I’m not really sure when I started writing that was my intent, but it has certainly become my purpose since then. With seven books under my belt and two in process I feel that I am now responsible for writing a tale that lingers with my readers.

I have long been an observer of people, but since writing I have become a much more avid observer of the human condition and things that people do to each other – intentionally or not – that slowly chisel away at confidences. I have discovered that there are two very different types of people: those who get it, and those who don’t. It is very difficult for a lot of people to empathize with others regarding difficult situations they have no experience with. I find that these are the situations that intrigue me enough to write a story about.

In my first few novels I was immersed in the injustices surrounding all forms of domestic abuse. They encompassed emotional, sexual, and verbal abuse. I then went on to alcohol and drug abuse as well as child abuse. I have found that most of my writing includes a set of parents that literally need to be shaken into reality as I firmly believe that it is a parent’s responsibility to do right by their children. I think it is fair to say that I throw my own little morality judgments into each book I write, albeit they are often masked.

I love to learn new things and I try to make each new novel represent a new crescendo for me. In Disrupted Lives I delved into the societal angle of life in the South, and I have never even been there! In Skewered Halo I looked into the psyche of a sociopath and ended up creating such a villainous character that my readers are requesting a sequel!

Writing to me is a creative outlet that enables me to verbalize what I cannot otherwise say. I am typically a quiet person who does not insert herself into a conversation. As a child my opinion was not valued and I suppose this is my way of making my opinions heard.

I love hearing from my readers and I am always open for suggestions. Please drop me a note after you’ve read any of my books – or even if you just want to have a discussion about a subject. I always write back! If you would like to have an autographed copy of any of my books please come by and visit my website – you can order directly from there.

Thank you so much for having me here today.

Here is an excerpt from Skewered Halo:

She slowly wound herself down the hall to the bedrooms. The first door on the right was her son’s room. Tyler had been an angel from the moment he was born. Nothing and no one could ever put out his light. Just watching his wonderment at life could crack even the hardest of shells. No one ever walked away from Tyler without a smile on their face.

When Kyle came along a year later, Tyler welcomed him with open arms, and the boys were inseparable. The room for one immediately became a room for two. Bath time became playtime. She crossed the hall to the tiny bathroom and could picture the two of them playing in the tub. Tears crept into her eyes, and she just let them fall.

She continued her journey to the next bedroom. The bed was made with a pink-ruffled spread, and there were animals waiting on the pillow. Those animals were going to have to wait for a very long time. Diane could see the tiny silhouette of her daughter drawing. “Look, Mommy, I made a pretty picture for you!” She had just smiled at her and said it was nice; she was too busy to take notice. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she went into the master bedroom and reminisced about the day they’d bought the house.

“I hate this bathroom, Gary,” she’d told him. “It’s ridiculous.”

“I know, hon, we’ll get it fixed right away,” he’d promised. That never happened.

Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, she said, “Gary Montrose! I hope you’re rotting in hell!”